Device for transferring knitted webs



June 16, 1925.

L. N. D. WII 'LIAMS DEVICE FOR TRANSFERRING- KNITTED WEBS Filed Feb. 23,1925 v INVENTOR; LOU/Z5 NDZVLlZzam Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES v 1,542,593 PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, OF OGONTZ, PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVICE FOR TRANSFERBING KNITTED WEBS.

I Application filed February 23, 1923. Serial No. 620,590.

- Devices for Transferring Knitted Webs,

of which the following 1s a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings. I

My invention relates to devices for transferring knitted webs useful,for example, in hosiery manufacture in transferring the ribbed tops ofhalf hose to the needles of a footer, so that a stocking foot may beappended in integral continuation.

This application is specific to one of a number of different transfer.devices covered generally in an a plication Serial Number 620,588 filedsimu taneously herewith under my name.

The main object of the present invention is to rovidea transfer devicewhich is selfcontamed, and has incorporated means capable, afterimpalement of the fabricloops (which will hereinafter be referred to smply as stitches) upon the needles of a kmttlng machine, of causing thestitches to be movedtailed description which follows of a typicalembodiment of my invention; while its scope will be as readily apparentfrom the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure I is a sectional view of a transfer deviceconveniently illustrating my invention and showing the manner in WhlChthe same is applied to the needles of a knitting machine in effectingstitch transference.

Figures II and III are similar views though fragmentary in character,showing successive sequential steps in the transfer operation.

Figure IV is a fragmentary sect onal view showing a modified embodimentof my invention; and

Figure V is a perspective view of the type of quill employed in themodification.

Refe-rring first to Figure I, it Wlll be observed that a transfer devicecomprises a holder 1, which, in the present instance, is

of annular or ring formfor use with a circular knitting machine, saidholder having at one end a flange head 2 for supporting a. circularseries of points or quills 3. These points or quills are accommodatedand maintained in separation withinperipheral slots 4 of the flange head2, and are held from displacement vertically by engagement of lateralrounded projections 5 withina circumferential groove 6 of the head 2..The quills are retained in assemblage in the holder by spring bands 7,of which some are accommodated in the groove6 and engage notches 8 inthe quills, while others engage in similar or auxiliary notches 9 in thequills, the bands urging the back edges of the quills into directvcontact with the straight bottom faces of the receiving slots 4, thusnormally maintaining the quills yieldingly in the true vertical positionshown in Figure I. The lower or dependin ends of the quills, it will benoted, are flute as at 10 so as tobe capable of receiving the hooks ofthe needles 11, and that said ends are tapered as at 12 to facilitateready initial looping of the terminal course of stitches of the fabricwhich is to be transferred. The quills are furthermore provided withthroats or notches 13 which receive the stitches w of the web, determinethe extent to which the same may be drawn upon the quills, and serve ina further capacity which will be presently ex plained.

In order that the lower ends of the quills may, subsequent to impalementbe simultaneously moved laterally relative to the needle hooks to placethe stitches beneath the latter, I have equipped the device with anannular cam 14 which is adapted to engage behind the rounded upper ends15 of the quills protruding above the top of the flange head 2. The cam14 is preferably made as a part of a sleeve 16 slidably guided upon thecylindrical holder 1 and having a cross bar 1 serviceable as a grasp forhand operation, said bar passing through slots 18 in thle holder 1,whereby the sliding motion of the sleeve is limited. I

In effecting transfer, the device is mounted upon the needle bed of theknitting machine in such manner that the knitting needles areindividually received within the fluted lower ends of the quills 3 asshown in Figure I to impale the stitches upon said needles. The sleeve16 is then depressed, by application of pressure upon the cross-bar 17,as a result of which the quills are rocked about fulcrum points affordedby the lower corners of the retaining slots 4, in opposition to theyielding action of the spring bands 7, the rojections 5 incidentallypreventing vertical displ'acement of the quills. As the quill circle isthus contracted, the stitches engaged in the recesses 13 of theindividual quills are thereby swung inwardly beneath the needle hooks tothe position shown in Figure II of the drawings. With the parts in thisposition, the transfer device is bodily raised relative to the machine,thereby leaving the web with the stitches of its terminal course engagedby the needle hooks as shown in Figure III.

The modified form of my invention shown in Figure IV of the drawings isoperative in precisely the same manner as the previously describedembodiment and differs only in the matter of a few details which I willnow proceed to describe. In this instance only one spring band 6 isemployed for retainment of the uills 3 in the head 2 of the holder 1 saispring being accommodated in a circumferential groove 8 in the headafter a manner previously explained, and engaging the single notch 9 ofthe quills. 'I he promotions 5 of the first form are here entirelydispensed with, and for the retainment of the quills against verticaldisplacement during their actuation I provide at the lower end of thecam sleeve 16, a circumferential protuberance 20 with'an under-cutgroove 21 adapted to receive and detain the rounded projections 22 atthe top of the quills as the latter are swung to place the loops of thefabric within the needle hooks. A quill of the type shown in Figure IVmay be conveniently and economically made as a die-stamping of sheetmetal bent along its longitudinal center as suggested in Figure V. Thechanneled cross-section thus afforded lends the necessar rigidity to thequill structure even thloug comparatively thin metal be employed, thusrendering this type of quill especially useful with fine gauge knittingmachines where the available space between the needles is extremelylimited.

Having thus claim:

1. A device for transferring knitted webs including means adapted to bealigned with described my invention, I

the needles of a knitting machine to impale the fabric stitches uponsaid needles, said means being supported with capacity forlateralmovement relative to the needles to place the fabric stitcheswithin the needle hooks.

2. A device for transferring knitted webs including means adapted to bealigned with the needles of a knitting machine to impale the abricstitches upon said needles, said mea having stitch engaging notches andsupported with capacity for lateral movement relative to the needles sothat the fabric stitches engaged within the notches can subsequently beshifted within the needle hooks. 4

3. A device for transferringknitted webs including a series of quillsadapted to be individually aligned with the needles of a knittingmachine to impale the fabric stitches upon said needles, and a holderwith slots for accommodating said quills with capacity for lateralmotion so that the fabric loops can subsequently be brought within theneedle hooks.

4. A device for transferring knitted webs including a series of quillsadapted to be individually aligned with the needles of a knittingmachine to impale the fabric stitches upon said needles, a holder withslots for accommodating the quills, means for yieldingly maintaining thequills in anormal position within said slots, and means whereby thequills can subsequently be shifted from the normal to place the fabricloops within the needle hooks.

5. A device for transferring knitted webs including a series of quillsadapted to be individually aligned with the needles of a knittingmachine to impale the fabric stitches upon said needles, a. holder wit-hslots for accommodating the quills, and means for preventing verticaldisplacement of the quills in their respective slots yet permittinglateral motion thereof so that the fabric stitches can be subsequentlyplaced within the needle hooks.

6. A device for transferring knitted webs including a series of quillsadapted to be individually aligned with the needles of a knittingmachine to impale the fabric stitches upon said needles, a holder withslots for accommodating the quills, means whereby the quills can besubsequently shifted laterally within their slots to place the fabricloops within the needle hooks, and lateral projections formed on thequills and engaging a groove in the holder to prevent verticaldisplacement of the quills incidentally-co the shiftin aforesaid.

7. A device for trans erring knitted webs including a series of quillsadapted to be individually aligned with the needles of a knittingmachine to impale the fabric stitches upon said needles, a holderaffording fulcrums about which the quills may be rocked, and a cammovable relative to the holder for actuating the quills to shift thefabric stitches within the needle hooks.

8. A device for transferring knitted webs including a circular series ofquills adapted to be aligned individually with the needles of a knittingmachine to impale the fabric stitches upon them, an annular holder withslots for accommodating the quills, lateral projections formed on saidquills for engaging a circumferential groove of the holder to preventvertical displacement of the quills, a spring band disposed within thegroove and en aging the quills to retain them in their s ots, and anannular wedge cam slidable on the holder whereby the quills may,subsequent to impalement, be rocked within thelr grooves to place thefabric stitches within the needle hooks.

9. A device for'transferring knitted webs including a circular series ofuills adapted to be individually alignedwit the needles stitches withinthe needle hooks.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my Vania, this 14th day ofFebruary 1923.

LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS.

I Witnesses:

7 JAMES H. BELL,

E. L. FULLERTON.

name at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- 20

